


Revelations

by cmk418



Category: Oz (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-02-04
Updated: 2007-02-04
Packaged: 2017-10-31 09:06:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/342311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cmk418/pseuds/cmk418
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Valentine's present leads to an unexpected discovery.  Friendship fic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Revelations

“Here. This is for you.” Sean said handing him the package. It was Valentine’s Day and Tim had been feeling a little more than sorry for himself.

“What, no flowers?” joked Tim. He stood staring at the small wrapped package.

“It’s a belated Christmas present. I had meant to give it to you before we left that day, but with that mess in the gym, I forgot completely about it.”

“Well, the Rogaine’s come in handy.”

“You’re a laugh riot today, my friend. See you later.”

“You’re not going to watch me open it?”

“I know what it is.” Sean walked away from him.

Tim took the small package into his office and lifted the lid. There was an orange card inside. He took out the card. It was a “Get out of Jail Free” card from a Monopoly game. He flipped it over. On the other side was Sean’s scrawl, “Anytime – S”

Tim looked inside the box once again. In it was a key. He didn’t think it was anything out of the ordinary. Sean had spent many a night asleep on his couch so returning the favor wasn’t unusual. They were friends, right? That’s what friends did, took care of each other.

It was that word though, “Anytime.” It grated on him. The open invitation made him nervous. Sean wouldn’t want him just showing up out of the blue, would he? Maybe that’s what he needed to do.

It was around seven-thirty that evening when Tim waltzed into Sean’s living room with a six-pack of beer.

“Tim, what are you doing here?”

“Thought we’d have a couple of beers and watch the game. You don’t mind, do you?” It was then that Tim noticed Sean was dressed a little differently than Tim was used to. He looked a little more put-together.

“Tim, I...” Just then the doorbell rang.

“Ah, shit, Sean, why didn’t you tell me you had a date? Can I check her out?” Tim moved toward the door.

Sean put his hand out and practically yelled, “NO!”

“Probably shouldn’t be that tense around her,” muttered Tim, slinking back to his spot on the couch.

Sean slipped out the door. Tim could hear snippets of Sean’s conversation. The woman he was speaking to didn’t seem to talk at all because all he could hear was the low tones of a man’s voice. Then nothing for a few moments.

Tim moved over to the window and tried to peek out toward the front door. He could see a figure in the shadows, but when it caught the light, and Tim saw the fairly attractive younger man heading away from the house – oh holy hell.

The door opened and Tim found himself trapped behind the curtain. “I don’t suppose the “Get Out of Jail Free” card could be used in this situation.”

Sean just sighed and sat down on the couch, flipping on the television. “Still want to watch the game?”

“Do I still -? Sean, you’re gay. Do you think maybe we ought to address this?”

“We haven’t talked about it for twenty-five years, why start now?”

“Wait, wait, wait a minute. You have not been queer for twenty-five years. What about Amy?”

“That was eighth grade.”

“Sue.”

“Who?”

“You know, the one that looked like that actress.”

“She took pity on me.”

“Diana.”

“She was nuts.”

“Then what about Jenna? You and she were together a long time.”

“Seven weeks is a long time? Well, yeah, I guess considering...”

“And you’ve been dating guys for twenty-five years?”

“Christ, no. I’ve known for twenty-five years. I’ve only been dating guys for, say, seventeen.”

Tim did the math in his head. There was something about this he didn’t like. “That was right about the time I moved away. You wanted to keep it from me, is that it?” His voice raised an octave on the last question, but damn it, he was upset. This was Sean. His best friend. They told each other everything, at least he thought they did.

Sean muttered under his breath, “Such a fucking idiot.”

Tim turned his eyes to the basketball game. A question was edging its way to the surface, a question that he didn’t want answered, a question that he did. “Sean?”

A sigh came from the man sitting at the other end of the couch. “What?”

“Those eight years. Was I...? Did you...? Oh never mind. What’s past is past. Let bygones be bygones. Why’d you give me the key?”

“Hell, Tim, I got tired of sleeping on your lumpy sofa. I figured you could crash on mine if you needed to.”

“On your sofa.”

“No, Tim, this was a bit elaborate set-up so that I could get you into bed. Jesus. And you wonder why I didn’t say anything.”

“I’m an idiot.”

“That you are, my friend.”

Sean grabbed a beer from the six pack. He had gotten it nearly to his lips when he heard, “Sean?”

“Oh, for the love of God, what is it now?”

“That guy. Who came to the door. Is he your boyfriend?”

“No.”

Tim took a beer from the six pack. “Good,” he stated before taking a drink.

Sean stared at him, incredulous. He set his beer down on the coffee table with a clunk. “Why is that good? You can sleep with any skirt that comes into Oz, you can get married, but I can’t have one date? Doesn’t that seemed fucked up to you?”

Tim took another drink. “Very.”

Tim glanced over at Sean. He had never seen him this angry. It was rare that he could ever get the Irishman’s passion to match his own. He saw that Sean was trying to get control of his emotions and which would put them back to where they were, hiding, denying. And right now, Tim wanted everything out in the open. Tim took his key ring and started to remove Sean’s key.

Sean reached over and covered Tim’s hand with his own. “Keep it. You’re your own worst enemy. You never know when you’re gonna need it.”

Tim turned his hand over, idly tracing the lines of Sean’s palm. He wasn’t watching the game anymore. Neither of them was.

“How did you know? When you figured it out, I mean.”

“It was more of an accepting than anything else. I just accepted who I was, who I always had been. It didn’t change anything. Hell, you didn’t even notice and I was closer to you than anybody else.”

“Maybe I just didn’t want to notice. I’m not blind, Sean. Maybe I just didn’t want to see. Is that why you had me sleep with you all those nights I stayed at your house as a kid?”

“God, Tim. Do you remember my parents’ house? Smaller than this place, and with all those kids, there was nowhere else for you to go.”

“On the floor or something.”

“We tried that. You bitched about how hard the floor was, remember?”

“No.”

“Believe me, I wanted you on the floor.”

“See? I knew it.”

“Please, asshole, you snore. And you take all the covers.”

“I do not. You talk in your sleep.”

“Bullshit.” There was a slight pause. “Really? What’d I say?”

“My name.”

“Are you sure I wasn’t awake?”

“Positive. I asked what you wanted and you just mumbled something and rolled over.”

“You’re making that up.”

“Not at all.”

“That’s bizarre. I don’t talk in my sleep.”

“You carry on whole conversations.”

“I feel like I’m doing that now.”

“What do you mean?”

“This is fucking surreal. When I imagined you finding out, we weren’t sitting here chatting. Either you’d be really pissed and storm out or you’d catch me in the middle of something and storm out or you’d look all hurt and dejected and...”

“Storm out?” McManus guessed. “You must think I have a terrible temper.”

“I’ve known you almost thirty years, Tim. Storming out is your specialty.”

“You never trusted me to stay?” Tim looked hurt.

“I just didn’t expect this. This is strange. I had prepared myself for the worst and it’s just not that.”

Tim set his keys down on the table and in a well-practiced maneuver, moved closer to Sean. His arm inched along the back of the couch, snaking behind Sean’s head. “So I guess what I’m about to do never entered the realm of possibility...” He touched his lips tentatively to Sean’s.

Tim pulled back. Sean was staring at him in shock. Tim moved back even farther, covering his face with his hands. “Well, that will go down with some of my more monumentally bad instincts. Go ahead. Storm off. I don’t blame you.”

Laughter from the other end of the couch. “This is my house. I’m not storming anywhere.”

Tim glanced over at Sean who has turned back to the game as if nothing had happened. “What the hell, Sean?”

Sean smiled at him. “Just sit back and enjoy the game.”

“Am I not-?”

“You’ve been the best thing in my life for most of my life. Okay? Is that enough for you? I swear, you come in here, interrupt my date, and now you won’t even let me watch the game in peace.”

“You’re not really pissed at me, are you?”

“No.”

“Wanna tell me about that guy?”

“Not really.”

“Are you still going to go out drinking with me on Friday nights?”

“Yes, Tim. I’m still going out with you on Friday night.”

“We’re not going to have to go to gay bars, are we?”

“Not unless you really want to.”

“Sorry I ruined your date.”

Sean shrugged. “It’s probably for the best. To tell you the truth, this might be the nicest Valentine’s Day I’ve had in a long time.”

Tim leaned back on the couch, facing the television. “Me, too.”  



End file.
